A recent headline in The Globe and Mail, “Labour unrest dogs the telecomm industry,” could have been written at almost any time over the past decade or more. The industry is facing fundamental structural change, driven by new technologies, regulatory reform, and market shifts and management has, predictably, focused on reducing labour costs. For anyone seeking to understand the political economy of restructuring in the telecommunications sector, this slim volume is a valuable addition to the literature. The author traces the story of telecommunications regulation from its origins in the First National Policy to neo-liberal restructuring (up to 2002), with special attention to the impact of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). As a work of history, the book provides a helpful map of major regulatory and policy shifts in the telecommunications sector. In tracing these shifts, the author discusses broader issues, such as the key role of telecommunications in “advanced electronic capitalism” (3) and the conflicts that accompanied the change from “a Fordist telecommunications regime” to a “continental” one (5).

In theoretical terms, the book's approach to the case of telecommunications will be of interest to scholars concerned with regulatory politics and neo-liberal restructuring. Its particular contribution may be found in its exploration of three key themes: (1) shifting corporate alliances and advocacy regarding telecommunications regulation; (2) the important role of the federal government in creating hegemonic consent for neo-liberal regulatory reform; (3) the nature and role of opposing popular forces (including important discussions of the social impact of restructuring—as articulated by dissenting groups—on both the public and the workers). Employing a political economy approach and a broad concept of the public interest, the author throws considerable light on the sites and strategies of resistance and the clash of interests and ideologies in the context of the struggles over regulatory reform. A similar approach to other regulated industries would be valuable, especially those subject to the pressures of continentalism.

Dr. Rideout also traces the formation of alliances in civil society in response to industry initiatives and regulatory changes. From this perspective, the book is a useful case study, providing insight into advocacy and communication strategies and processes of coalition building. In particular, it provides a rich description of the relationships between labour unions and other lobby groups in the telecommunications sector and the state's role in encouraging or disrupting these alliances. The attempts by corporate interests, social policy groups, labour unions and the state to define the “public interest” in ways that promote their interests are analyzed effectively. (This discussion would have benefited from comparison with the strategies through which telecommunications monopolies associated themselves with the public interest in the United States, as described in Stuart Ewen's PR: A Social History of Spin, New York: Basic Books, 1996.)

Although the author defines her analytic framework as political economy, her definition of class is not always clear. There is also some repetition and, at times, excessive use of jargon, whose analytical utility is not made explicit. Despite these minor flaws, however, the book repays the reader's effort. The increasing inequality in the telecommunications sector (both for workers and customers) and the “social impact of global multimedia and communications networks” (175) are important themes in the analysis and, as the author reminds us, are critically important elements of contemporary life that require further study. This work provides us with a novel and promising approach to that research.